Gianfranco Zola takes flight with plans to consider his next move

West Ham United 0 Stoke City 1

Seldom has a winning goal sparked so much introspection from a losing manager: Gianfranco Zola set off for Italy yesterday to mull over whether he can save West Ham United from relegation.

Or whether he wants to, given what has been going on at Upton Park in the past week, with David Sullivan, the joint-chairman, branding his squad “appalling” and “shambolic” pre-match.

Ricardo Fuller’s solo goal — the substitute had been on the pitch for two minutes when he weaved his way past three challengers before slotting past Robert Green, the West Ham goalkeeper — would have been the talking point had it been scored on any other day.

Or perhaps for any other team, although Tony Pulis, the Stoke City manager, did not seem